Teachings

History of Aghor

The word Aghor literally means, that which
is not difficult or terrible. Aghor
is simple and natural state of consciousness.
There is no place for feelings of fear,
hatred, disgust or discrimination in the
eyes of an Aughar. Aperson who practices
these virtues may be designated as an Aughar.
With constant practice when the soul isestablished in that state, such a person
becomes an Avadhuta regardless of his path.

An Aghoreshwar is an Avadhut who has gone through all
the various stages of Aghor and then has returned to
society for the benefit of others. Even though an Aghoreshwar
remains above and beyond all social and material illusions,
distinctions, and categories, he can bring many social
reforms into effect. Realizing his divine nature, retaining
the carefree, unattached Aghor state of being, he may
have at the same time the appearance of one observing
the contemporary social norm rather than a recluse.

The term Aghor goes back to the farthest
reaches of time. One of the five faces
of Shiva was known as Aghor. The word is
as old as Shiva himself. In the SHIVA PURANA,
one of India’s oldest legends, there
is a hymn to the glory of Shiva by Pushpadanta,
head of the Gandharvas, called the Shiva
Mahimnah Stotram. One of its verses
is:

Aghoranna
paro mantro
Nasti tatvam Guro param.

The very name of Aghor (Shiva, or the one who has attained
the state of Aghor) is a mantra that is above all other
mantras. There is nothing higher to be known than the
real nature of the Guru.

In the past the word Aghor implied something mysterious.
Slowly, over centuries, its meaning came to include
methods and practices used by sadhus to overcome their
limitations. After the prehistoric association of Aghor
with Lord Shiva, another legendary being was not only
considered by the ancients to have realized the state
of Aghor but was believed to have propounded and taught
the knowledge of it to others. This was Lord Dattatreya.
Many other saints and mahatmas who embodied this Aghor
state arose at their destined times in history, while
at other times the lineage became dormant, like embers
hidden under ashes. Eventually the methods and means
to achieve this Aghor state began to be communicated
in guru-disciple relationships. However, the practices
continued to be little known.

In
the sixteenth century, a great saint called
Baba Kinaram was known as Aghoreshwar.

The
story of Baba Kinaram tells of his wandering for years
until he attained complete knowledge by having the darshan
of Bhagwan Dattatreya, who appeared to him in the Girnar
Mountains, a holy place in Gujarat state.

Later in his life Baba Kinaram wrote a book called Viveksar,
said to be the most authentic treatise on the principles
of Aghor. In his book he wrote that when he understood
what Bhagwan Dattatreya was saying to him, he saw that
the whole world, the whole universe, is situated in
this human body, a vast world perfect in all respects,
which was called Maya. Maya and its every transformation
was present inside his body.

Baba
Kinaram established an Ashram in Varanasi, called Krim
Kund. He initiated many social reforms during the tumultuous
times of the Mughul invasion when the Indian people
were being persecuted.

The
direct lineage of the twelve Aghoreshwars that began
with Baba Kinaram extends from the sixteenth century
until the present. When Baba Bhagwan Ram became the
12th Aghoreshwar in this lineage, he was likened to
Baba Kinaram because he had a strong sense of social
responsibility, identifying himself with suffering humanity,
and waiting to help the people in their struggle against
social injustices. As in Baba Kinaram's time, there
were social problems the people were unable to handle.

Sometimes
spiritual beings are able to give the people some protection
against injustice but there are other periods of time
when the fires of spiritual strength burn low, embers
under ashes. Recognizing the need for change Baba Bhagwan
Ram renewed the socially conscious spirit of Baba Kinaram
when he established a new ashram called Sri Sarveshwari
Samooh and dedicated it to help the poor and the afflicted.
The ashes leapt into flame again, being fed by the spiritual
fuel of another great Aghoreshwar.

In
order to maintain the seat of Aghor tradition as a continuum,
Baba initiated his own disciple, Siddhartha Gautam Ram,
as the head of Krim Kund so he could be free to follow
his social callings. Krim Kund and Sri Sarveshwari Samooh
are on the opposite sides of the Ganges in Varanasi
with many more Ashrams in various locations in India
and a number of centers and Ashrams in other countries.
All of them are working in cooperation with each other
to maintain the ancient tradition as well as to take
a freshly motivated direction towards social services
and the integration of ancient wisdom into the life
of the community.

Sadhana

In
a conversation with one of his monks, Baba Bhagwan Ram
gave the following description of an Aughar or a follower
of Aghoreshwar.

“Followers
of Aghoreshwar stay very far from doubt. They do not
dwell in the body-mind. They dwell in the consciousness
of Self, and with resolve they reach very substantial
states. After they reach these states, they become so
polite that their voices have nothing but sweetness.

Their
vocabulary has no place for defiling, provocative words,
or words that spread enmity. Such words don't even arise.
Whenever you come across such people, take them to be
blessed by the Kapaleshwar (the great unknown who dwells
in the cosmos, the spirit (of Aghoreshwar). With unbreakable
faith and reverence, they are moved by human sufferings.
These ascetics are well cultivated, they do not like
to see anyone spreading disharmony. Their way is one
of friendliness, compassion, seeing love within each
other.

The
ascetics who are the follower of Aghoreshwar do not
have any special appearance. They do not have any signs
of class, caste or religion. They do not worry about
feeding themselves; whatever comes their way, they accept.
Life of these ascetics is a life in which they do nothing
and nothing is left undone.

Following
this principle of action-less action, they remain blameless
and firm in their austerity while respecting everything.
They may get cheated by others, but they never cheat
others. Remaining pride-less, they show respect to others.
They use discarded pieces of cloth as their clothing,
whether that cloth has holes in it or not, whether thrown
away in the trash or even having been used as a shroud
for the dead. They want to use only such things that
are of no more use to any other person.

These
Aughar ascetics renounce alcohol, sex, lies and deceit
as they would poison. They are continuously engaged
in providing for the well-being of others, not discriminating
as to race, color or religion.

The
Aughar tradition is no different from the Aughar state
of consciousness. This state is naturally attained by
the noble person who keeps longing for the grace of
the teachings and initiation from the Guru. The need
for liberation arises for the one who is body-conscious,
not for the one who is soul-conscious. There is no need
of it for the one who is conscious of Brahman. He remains
totally absorbed in the quest of the truth, content
in the Self and living in good company. Haven't you
heard the saying, “Dwell among the renunciates
for at least twelve years; then you will learn a dialect."

The
word dialect refers to that very soothing speech of
the accomplished ones. With the vibrations of that very
speech there is obtained a luster, a glow, and currents
like that of electricity, without the necessity for
any rituals, worship or pranayama. In the very flow
of contemplation, everything is obtained which is of
consciousness.

To see an Aughar ascetic is like getting a glimpse of
Shiva himself. Aughars are not only impartial but they
are unbiased as well. In their greatness, they accept
social relationships with everyone. They are not judgmental.
Just as the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, Fire and Wind
are not here for any particular religion, class, caste
or nation, in the same way the Aughar who has attained
the stage of impartiality acts for the well-being of
everyone. All these qualities of Aughars help everyone
to learn how to restrain their mental modifications
and, as a result, negative thoughts and tendencies subside."

This
was Baba Bhagwan Ram's description of one who walks
on the Aghor path. Throughout many centuries, this Aghor
path took seekers into deep solitude, into jungles,
mountain caves, even into cremation grounds. These places
of solitude were chosen by the Aughars not simply to
avoid society, but to find the seclusion needed to confront
their fears, those demons that dwell in the inner universe.
When some of them overcame all obstacles and found their
own true Self, they were seen as holy men and people
sought them for help of various kinds. That very needy
nature of the public drove the Aughars deeper into solitude.
Some of those left behind posed as the real thing by
displaying whatever magical powers they had acquired.
Sometimes they assumed a fearful, unkempt appearance,
passing themselves off as Aghoris. Since the true Aughar
renounces such magical powers as the mere trappings
of illusion, taking no credit for them, he has become
known as Avadhut, one who lives in a blissful, carefree
state.

Many
such beings have inspired us with their clear, simple
teachings, which seemed to have come from their pure
being rather than from any intellectual storehouse of
scriptures. In other regions of India, such beings have
been referred to as Paramahans, Brahmanistha, Kaul,
etc. These teachers are very few in number at any given
time, very difficult to find, and usually impart their
teachings on a one-on-one basis.

The
dhuni (sacred fire) of Baba Kinaram's ashram
at Krim Kund in Varanasi has been burning
continuously for four hundred years (see Lineage). During
this time the lineage has produced many
great beings. When society's need has been
greatest, there has emerged an Aghoreshwar.
In the tradition of Baba Kinaram, Avadhut
Bhagwan Ramji emerged as an Aghoreshwar
during the chaotic times of our modern
world.